Truck for cars or other vehicles



Patented Jan. l7, I899.

L. c. cummmss. TRUCK FOR CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES.

(Application filed Oct. 24, 1898.)

(No Model.)

Inventor.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LINCOLN CUMMINGS, OF PORTLAND, MAINE.

TRUCK FOR CARS OR OTHER VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 618,028, dated'-J'anuary 17, 1899. Application and October 24, 1898. Serial No. 694,357. (No model.)

' scription of the invention, such as will enriage.

able othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invent-ion relates to improvements in trucks for cars and other vehicles; and it is especially designed, first, to cause the car to be moved much more easily and with, at least, half the present friction on the track, and, second, to bring the car-bodynearer the track.

It consists of a truck-body providedw-ith channels closely resembling in configuration the Arabic figure 8, except that one portion of the channel travels over the other, the channel not being in the same horizontal plane. Adapted to run in these channels are suitable spheres, globes, or balls, some of the number always traveling through an opening in the bottom of the truck and in contact with each rail to sustain the weight of the car.

It further consists of means for preventing the channel from becoming filled with snow or ice and meansffor holdingthe truck on the track.

In the drawings herewith accompanying and forming a part of this application, Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of my device, arrows indicating the movement of the balls. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section taken on line Y Y of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4. is a section taken on line Z Z of Fig. 1.

The same letters refer to like parts in all the figures.

In said drawings, A represents a truck-car- This may be made in any suitable manner; but I prefer to provide it with a top plate B and a bottom plate 0 for convenience in making a channel, hereinafter mentioned, therein. These plates are firmly attached to the carriage by means of suitable bolts D. This carriage is provided with a channel E,

substantially of the configuration of the Arabic figure 8, havingat its outer extremities and at the bottom thereof openings F, provided with a flange G. Adapted to travelin the channel are balls or spheres H. The said the rail.- By this means the truck carriage is raised sufficiently fromthe track to clear all ordinary obstacles and will not interfere with switches, (K70. At each end of the carriage and rigidly attached thereto are shafts I, on which are adapted to revolve flanged wheels J. These wheels are not usually intended to carry the weight of the car; but the flanges simply serve the purpose of keeping the truck on the rail when rounding curves or takiug'switches, but revolving when they strike the rail or switch. to prevent a lateral motion of the truck when being carried at a high rate of speed. These trucks, like loose pulleys, are adapted to revolve upon their axes, when necessary. These trucks may be made of rubber, wood, or other suitable material and are made sufficiently heavy, should the exigency. require, to carry the weight of the car. To accomplish this, it is my intention to have their axles so arranged as to be capable of a vertical adjustment. The top portion 0 of the channel E, near the opening F, may be made thicker than the other portion of the groove, for the purpose of guiding the balls downwardly and through the opening when,

through the movement of the cars, the ballsare brought into motion. The groove is made with square surfaces, so that the balls may have a smooth and unobstructed path to Theyfurther serve travel, the greatest number of contact-points at any one time being three, for the special reason that the groove being of greater depth than the diameter of the balls the balls when in motion will touchonly on the sides and the top or bottom during their course of travel.

\Vhen the car is moved, it will be seen that there will be a number of the 'balls at each end of the truck that will sustain the weight of the truck and car and bear upon the track,

the extent of the bearing on each track cor-' responding to the length of the bearing of the ordinary railway-car truckat each end of the car between the front and rear wheels of each truck-frame. As the truck is-moved forward" the ballscontained in the opening and in contact with the track revolve on their own axes in the same direction as that taken by the moving truck, so long as the balls are in contact with the track. As soon, though, as the contact is released the ball then passes into the channel E and revolves ,on' its axis in'the opposite direction to that takenby. the truck but inthe same directiontha'tthe ball itself travels, as shown bythefarrows in Fig. 1. This motion is continued until'the opposite opening is reached, when the ball, again descending to the track, takes motion in the "same direction as the'movement of the truck.

Thus it will be seen that the balls have two distinct and opposite movements on their own axes, but they also continually travel in a direction, as to the truck itself, opposite to the come into operation at the opposite end of the.

these first-named balls arecaused to travel through the circulatory channel until the balls truck, constantly rotating ,upon their own axes in the manner and direction as before relate'd. The same principle applies to the balls thus fed and supplied to the opening onthe oppositeside, and the'motion caused by the movement of the train and the revolution of the balls in the bearing gives a continuous motion all in the same direction. In order to prevent-snow or moisture freezing in the channel choking itand preventing'the balls from traveling readily in the proper direction, I insert at the opening L a small steam-pipe,

which follows the configuration of the channel in the truck and has an inlet and an outlet at the point M, as shown in the drawings. This pipe can be kept'heated by steam from the locomotive and connected thereto by suitable couplings. v

. Instead of arranging the channel as shown-- that is, making one continuous path through which the balls may travel from one opening to another-I can use two independent channels substantially circular or oblong in form and in the same plane, the twocircles hav? ing no connection with each other. In prac-- tice, though, I 'find thisarrangement not as satisfactory, as the balls are more liable to bind when forced to travel in circles rather than in the elliptical lines of my preferred form, where they cannot bind and have a double feed for each 1-511 and are always pre-' sented to and leave the track in a line in the directi n'of the moving tru'clz This, it is evident, prevents any momentary stoppage of the ball in its revolution'on its own axis and its movement through the opening. In order. to" show that my device will save in wear over the ordinary car-truck,'it is only neces- I sary to follow'the course of one of the balls fromthetime it is in contact on the rail until itreaches the opposite side of -theframe. In'the ordinary car-wheel as long asthe car. is .;in motion the wheels are continually car rying-the weight, while in myfdevioe the ro-' tatiu'g' and receding balls sustain the weight andare subjected to-a wearing pressure only momentarily when they are exposed in the openings. The remainder of the time they simplytravel through the channel and are subjected to 'no especial wear save that very minute amount caused by the balls traveling through apractically frictionless channel.

In other words, the ball is subject to a wearing process but twi'ceduring its course of travel The opening from one openingtothe other. in the bottom of the carriage can be made of sufifilcientjlength to accommodateany number of balls to'sustain the weight of the truck and in proportion the weight on each individual ball and at the same time greatly diminishing the friction. It will also be seen, and I have.

proved by experiments; .that the distance traveledb'y the truck and car itself as comcar,'the greater number of balls-diminishingpared to the distance traveled by an individ-.-

ual ball thus circulating-is as three to one,

thereby largely overcoming allfr ictiou.

The advantages of my invention are that it largely overcomes thefriction and also brings the car down nearer "thetrack, bring-- ing consequently the'center-of gravitylower, allowing; a greater speed and lessening the power of centrifugal force on the" cars. A I

further advantage is that-it provides a] smooth, easy-running truck, which with present power applied to a given number of cars will at least double the speed now obtainable, -.fir'st,by thus overcoming friction, and, second, from the fact that the center of gravity is brought nearer the track, allowing greater.

speed in making curves &c. 7

Having thus described my invention and its use, I claim- I 1. In a truck, a suitable bed, a channel in said bed, a series of ballsadapted to circulate in said channels, said: balls having a motion "'p0n"t1heIT;9'H-%XeS-in the direction of the movementof the truck during part of the space traveled and a direction opposite to the movement of the truck for the rest of the way,

substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A new article of .mzmutacture, a cartruck having a suitable bed, openings in the bottom of said bed ateach extremity thereof, a channel substantially in the form of the Arabic figure -8 joining said openings, a series of balls adapted to circulate through said channel and into said openings, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. Ina truck, a suitable bed, openings at each end at the bottom thereof, a continuous circulating-channel substantially of the configuration of the Arabic figure 8 extending across the truck, all parts of the channel not being in the same horizontal plane, connecting said openings, and a series of rotary globes 01' spheres adapted to travel Within said channel, and successively bear the weight of the truck, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. v

4. In a truck for railway'cars or other vehicles, a bed having an endlesschannel therein substantially of the configuration of the Arabic figure 8 and extending across the truck, all points of said channel not being in the same horizontal plane, openings at opposite points in said truck connected with said channeh'a series of freely-moving balls or spheres adapted to circulate through said channel from one opening to the other and rotating flanged pulleys adjustable vertically for preventing lateral displacement of said truck substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In a truck, a suitable bed, circulatingchannels extending across said truck, openings in said bed at opposite sides and in the bottom thereof and a series of freely-moving balls or spheres adapted to circulate within said channels and through said openings,said spheres or balls when traversing said openings sustaining the weight of the superimposed bed, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

6. In a car-truck, a suitable bed, an-endless channel therein substantially of the configuration of an Arabic figure 8 and extending across the truck, all points of said channelnot being in the same horizontal plane, openings at opposite points on said truck connected with said channel, a series of freelymoving balls or spheres adapted to circulate through said channel from one point to the other, rotating flanged pulleys adjustable vertically for preventing a lateral displacement of said truck, and means for preventing said balls from being clogged by snow or ice, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of October, A. D. 1898. I

LINCOLN C. CUMMINGS.

lVitnesses:

ELGIN O. VERRILL, NATHAN CLIFFORD. 

